7,000 apply for 290 medical seats in Ajman

Dubai, UAE: Mirroring the sentiments of the community in the UAE where the health care sector is all poised for an exponential growth, the Gulf Medical University (GMU) has received 7,000 applications from the region for its 290 medical seats for 2016-2017 academic year.

Thumbay Moiddeen, founder director of the Thumbay Group and chairman of GMU, told Gulf News that this marked a 40 per cent jump in applications since last year.

“Nearly 70 to 80 per cent of our applicants were females. We got most applications for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Doctorate in Dental Medicine (DMD), Doctorate in Pharmacology (PharmaD) and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) courses,” he said, attributing the jump in interest to the phased introduction of mandatory health insurance.

According to a study conducted by Alpen Capital in February 2016, the GCC health care market is projected to expand by 11 to 13 per cent between 2015 and 2020.

Health care service providers are currently investing heavily in building new hospitals, clinics and pharmacies as the Gulf countries are bringing the region’s entire population under a mandatory health insurance scheme that will trigger demand for new facilities.

“The growth and expansion of the health care services market will require a steady supply of quality health care professionals — doctors, nurses, paramedics and pharmacists,” said Moideen. “The higher enrolment application is an indication of the pent-up demand for health care professionals in the region. Gulf Medical University was established to meet the growing demand for health care professionals and it has come a long way in playing its pioneering role,” he added.

The Thumbay Group itself was investing Dh1.2 billion in expanding its network of hospitals, medical universities, clinics and pharmacies to help meet the demand “that will see the development of 420 new establishments in the next four years”, he said, and added that they were expecting to triple its existing 5,000 personnel by 2020.

“The newly trained doctors, nurses, paramedics and pharmacists will easily be absorbed by the new facilities that are being developed by health care groups. So, there is almost a guaranteed job opportunity for all those who get enrolment in medical colleges across the region. That’s why we see an increase in the number of serious applications for medical studies.”

The increase in the number of old people, who generally need more medical care, is likely to translate into higher health care spending. The rise in lifestyle-related diseases is also likely to add to health care expenses as well as augment the need for specialised care centres and doctors.

Sensing the demand, the government as well as private players have injected billions of dollars into the health care sector to construct large and specialised facilities. The GCC region has nearly 350 hospital projects under various stages of development. Research shows the top 20 ongoing health care projects in the GCC are expected to cost Dh91 billion.